Humidifying radiator



Nov. 1, 1932. A. u. JONES 1,885,192

HUMIDIFYING RADIATOR Filed March 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 19 3 e0 31 BO81 23 Ba 33 33 i 33 a INVENTOR ANDREWJLJON ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 1,1932 UNi sn ANDREW U. crowns, or MONTREAL, cunts-c, cannon HUMIDIFYINGRADIATOR Application filed March 25, 1932. 7 Serial No. 601,179.

This invention relatesto radiators and particularly to humidifyingradiator installations of the kind comprising water evaporating sectionsprovided with recesses or water courses for containing the water to beevaporated.

The principal objects are to provide an improvedinstallation in whichprovision is made for forcing air between the water evaporating sectionsto increase the evaporating eficiency and to efl ect rapid distributionof the humidified air throughout the room or other enclosure in whichthe installation is placed; toprovide an installation in which the airforcing means is of such character that itsoperation may be controlledat will to regulate the water evaporating e-fliciency of theradiatorwithin wide limits; to provide an installation in which thewater evaporating sections are designed and arranged to utilize theevaporation-increasing eliect of the air forcing means with a maximumdegree of cfiiciency and, finally, to provide a generally improvedinstallation which is particularly adapted byreason of its highevaporating efliciency for use in connection with hot water and otherheating systems in which'the temperature and evaporating efiect of theheating medium is relatively low compared with steam heating systems.

Other objects, advantages and characteristic features of the inventionwill-appear from the following detailed description taken in connectionwith the accompanying; drawings, where1n Fig. 1 is a View partly invertical section and partly in side elevation of the componentelementsof a humidifying radiator installation provided in accordancewith this invention.

Fig. 2 is a top' plan view of one of the humi (lifying radiatorsections.

Fig.3 is an end view of the radiator section appearing in'Fig. 2.

F ig. 4 is an end view of the humidifying radiator as it appears withoutthe casing and air forcing means ordinarily associated therewith.

The humidifying radiator shown in the present drawings is similarin manyrespects to that described and claimed in my co-pendf ing applicationSerial No. 593,123, filed Feb. 15, 1982. It comprises a series of hollowradiator sections A spaced oneabove the other in vertical alignment, thelower section being mounted on suitable supporting legs 11. Thesesections are coupled together substantially in accordance with standardpractice to provide for circulation of the heating fiuid through theinternal passages A. As herein shown, each section'is provided withvertical nipple receiving bosses 12 projecting upwardly from the topwall 13 in line with similar bosses 14: projecting downwardly from thebottom wall 15. Standard connecting nipples (not shown) are provided forcoupling the lower bosses 14 of each section to the upper bosses 12 ofthe next lower sec-- tion to secure the sections in the assembledrelation shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

The angular relation between the bosses and the top and bottom walls ofeach section is such that, in the assembled relation of the sections,the general plane of each of said walls is inclined with respect to thehorizontal so that its rear edge is higher than its front edge. Thisconstruction, in addition to other advantages hereinafter mentioned,provides a series of upwardly andrearwardly inclined air passages 17which greatly facilitate the circulation of air between the varioussections. 1

Each section A is provided with a top water evaporating area including along tortuous water course of relatively narrow channel width. Thiswater course is formed by providing the section with a marginal wall 19and a series of parallel ribs or ridges 20 and 21 projecting upwardlyfrom the wall 13. The two sets ofribs or ridges 20 and 21 extendlongitudinally of the section and form, with the parallel portions ofthe wall 19, a series of parallel flow channels 22 and 23 whichconjointly provide a. continuous tor- 3 tuous water course ofsubstantial length. As

shown to advantage in Fig. 2, the right hand end of each channel 23communicates with the adjacent end of the next upper channel 22 througha gap or passageway 2a reserved between a transverse wall 25 and one ofthe ribs or ridges 20. The left hand end of each channel 23communicates, in a similar manner, with the adjacent end of the nextlower channel 22 through a gap or passageway 26 L reserved between atransverse wall 27 and the adjacent end of one of the ribs or ridges 21.The uppermost channel 22 communicates at its left hand end with a pocket28 into which the water to be evaporated by the section is initiallyintroduced. From the pocket 28 the water flows via the channels 22 and23 and the communicating passageways 24 and 2 6 to an outlet opening 29at the left hand end of the lowermost channel 23. The

-. water draining through this outlet 29 passes not considered necessaryto show this drip valve in the present drawings since the arrangementthereof will preferably be the same as described in my prior applicationSerial No. 537,786, filed May 16, 1931. The water draining through thedrain conduit 30 of the lowermost section A is delivered to a drain pipe32 appearing in Fig. 4.

The amount of water supplied to the flow channels 22 and 23 of eachsection may be regulated so that the water will traverse the watercourse provided by these channels with out overflowing the side walls ofthe channels. It is preferred, however, to regulate the water supply sothat the water will not only flow along the channels from the inlet tothe outlet end of each water course but will also; overflow the lowerside wall of each channel to produce a cascading effect whereby theentire upper surfaces of the walls 13, including the apices of the ribsor ridges 20 and 21, are submerged as indicated at X in Fig. 1. Thiscascading of the water over the dividing walls of the component channelsof each-water course maintains the entire upper surface of the wall 13,including the apices of the ribs or ridges 20 and 21, submerged beneatha thin film of water which has a fairly rapid downward travel across thewidth of said wall. This complete coverage of the wall 13 by a thin filmof water exposed to the air passing above said wall increases theevaporating efficiency of the section in substantial degree and isparticularly desirable in the present installation, wherein a rapidcirculation of air between the sections is provided for by the airforcing means hereinafter described.

The flow of the water along the length of each water course is ofadvantage in that it tends to increase the water handling capacity ofthe section and to gradually move dirt or other foreign matteraccumulating in the flow channels in the direction .of the outlet 29. Inthis connection it may be observed that while the water channels 22 and23 are level from end to' end the downward slope of the wallv 13 fromits upper to its lower edge is sufficient to provide for movement of the-water along the length of each water course,

as herein described.

While the humidifying radiator described in the foregoing may be usedalone as a satisfactory humidifying unit, its evaporation el'liciency isincreased in substantial degree by the addition of the fan appearing at33 in Fig. 1. This fan is mounted close to the front portions of theradiator sections A and is substantially centered with respect tothelength of said sections. The fan is fixed to the shaft 3% of an electricmotor 35 and is preferably equipped with a guard frame 36. The motor 35may be mounted in any desired Way. It is herein shown as carried by asupporting ring 37 through the medium of a series of springs 38 whichprovide a substantially noiseless mounting due to the vibrationabsorbing elfect of the springs. The ring 37 is supported from thelowermost section A by any suitable form of supporting bracket such asthat indicated at 39. 7

When the fan 33 is in operation it causes-a rapid circulation of airthrough the air passages 17 and over the upper Water evaporate ingsurface of each of the sections A. This not only increases theevaporating efficiency of the radiator but also provides for a rapiddistribution of the humidified air throughout".v

the room or other enclosure in which the radiator and fan are installed.

Due to the inclination of the wall 13 of each section the film of Watercovering the upper surface of said wall. is obliquely disposed acrossthe path of the horizontal air currents producedby the fan 33 and causesthe hu-' midified air to be gradually diverted'in'an upward direction asit passes towards the rear edge ofeach section. The angular dispositionof the water film with reference to the horizontal paths traversed bythe air currents is also of advantage in that the air is blown againstthe water at such an angle that the onward travel of the air is notimpeded to any substantial degree as would be the case if the aircurrents were projected at right angles tothe general plane of the waterfilms.

wall 46, side walls 47 and a top wall or grill 48, the latter beingprovided with air outlet openings 49 and the lower edge of the frontwall 45 being preferably spaced from the floor 50 to provide an air.inlet 51. All or certain of the enclosing walls of the cabinet'may beprovided with a lining 52' of sound absorbing material in order tomuffle the noise incident to the operation'of the fan 33. The front wall45 may also be provided with an inwardly and downwardly inclineddeflector 1 53, of sound absorbing material, which overlies the fan 33and serves to cause the air projected upwardly by the fan to bedeflected onto the evaporating surface of the uppermost section A. Sincethe fan 33 is centrally located and is of relatively small diameter withreference to the length of the sections A, it is preferable to providethe bottom wall 15 of each section with a series of curved vanes 54 forcausing the air entering the air 1 passages 17 to be distributed overthe length of the evaporating surface of each section A during itstravel through said passage.

The speed of the fan 33 may be varied at will to regulate theevaporating efficiency of the radiator which depends in substantialdegree upon the forcible circulation of air between the radiatorsections. To this end the circuit connections to the fan operating motor35 may include any suitable form of manually operable rheostat orresistance for varying the operating speed of the fan to increase ordecrease the circulation of air between the radiator sections.

In view of the increased evaporating ef ficiency afforded by the fan 33,the humidifying radiator installation described herein is particularlyadapted for use in connection with hot water heating systems where therelatively low temperature of the heating medium, as compared with steamheating systems, offers certain difliculties with respect to providingfor the evaporation of an adequate quantity of water without increasingthe size or number of the evaporating sections to the point where thecost of installation is excessive. With the present installationsufficient evaporation may be ob-- tained in connection with hot waterheating systems by the use of a relatively few evaporatlng sections ofcomparatively small size.

Y Having'thusdescrihed my invention, what I claim;is:=" a

1. A humidifying radiator finstallation comprising aaplurahtyofyertically spaced radiator sections, each havinga top waterevaporating surface sloping downwardly toward the front of the sectionand means at the front of the 'radi'ator for effecting a posi tivehorizontal flow of air in the direction-of the sloping water evaporatingsurfaces."

humidifying radiatorv installation comprising a plurality ofvertically'spaced radiator sections, each having'la'top waterevaporating surface sloping: downwardly toward the front of the sectionand shaped' to provide a series ofparallel flow channels extendinglongitudinally of the sections and communicating with each other to forma single tortuous water course having an inlet at one end oftheuppermost channel and an outlet at one end of the lowermost chanhell,said channels being level from end to en 3. A humidifying radiator asclaimed in claim2 in which each water course is supplied with sufficientwater to overflow the dividing walls between the channels.

4. Ahumidifying radiator installation as claimed in claim 2 including afan arranged adjacent the front of the radiator to produce a horizontalflow of air in the direction of the sloping evaporating surfaces.

5. A humidifyingradiator installation comprising a plurality ofvertically spaced radiator sections, each having a water evapcratingsurface at the top and air deflecting means at the bottom, said airdeflecting means being arranged to deflect air passing transverselybeneath each section toward the ends of the top evaporating surface ofthe next lower section.

6. A humidifying radiator installation comprising a plurality ofvertically spaced radiator sections. each having a top water evaporatingsurface, a fan positioned in front of the central portions of theradiator for blowing air toward and between said sections, anddeflectors between the sections for diverting the air passing betweentowards the ends of the evaporating surface.

7. A hollow radiator section having a top wall inclining downwardlytoward the front of the section and shaped to provide a series of flowchannels of relatively narrow channel width, said channels beingparallel with each other and with the front and rear edges of thesection and being level throughout their length, said channels beingconnected in end to end relation by communieating passages to form asingle water course.

8. A humidifying radiator comprising a plurality of hollow radiatorsections, each having a top water evaporating surface sloping downwardlytoward the front of the section, an upwardly and rearwardly curved airdeflector projecting above the Water evaporating surface at the rearedge of each section and affan positioned in front of the radiator forforcibly circulating air between said sections. o

9. A humidifying radiator comprising a plurality of hollow radiatorsections each having a top Water evaporating surface, an upwardly and'rearwardly curved air deflector projecting above the-Waterevaporating-surface at the rear edge of each section and a fanpositioned in front of the radiator for forcing air betweensaid'sections.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW U. JONES.

